Gripper-actuating mechanism



W. M. KELLY.

GRIPPER ACTUATING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED MAY 31, m1. RENEWED um. 20. 1920.

Patented May 11, 1920.

V i z SHEETS-SHEETI f? f0 f T W I 1 k Y f? glvwenfoz w. M. KELLY, GRIPPER ACTUATING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FiLED MAY3I, 1917. RENEWED MAR. 20, l9 20- 1,339,654, v Patented May 11, 1920.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIM M. KELLY, 0F JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN TYPE FOUNDERS COIVIPAIQ'Y, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

GmrPER-Ac'rUATiNe MEoHANisM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11 1920.

Application filed May 3i, 1917, Serial No. 172,085. Renewed March 20, 1920. Serial No. 367,430.

To all whom 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that I, VIL'LIAM M. KELLY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Jersey City, Hudson county, State of New J erse have invented. certain new and useful mprovements in Gripper-Actuating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification. V

' This invention relates to printing presses and more particularly to means for actuating the grippers of the impression cylinder. In presses it is very important that the sheet be accurately positioned on, and firmly clamped to, the impression cylinder. One the principal objects of this invention is to insure hair-line register by providing means which will compensate for any lost motion in the operating parts; To this end my invention consists in a provision of a supplemental means for actuating the gripping means during the final portion of its gripping movement, to which is momentarily transferred the function of operating the gripping means thereby relieving the main operating means so that any lost motion in the latter means is of no effect. Other features of the invention will be apparent from the description taken in connection with the drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of an impression cylinder, the cylinder l1ousing and means for a'ctuating the grippers; a portion of the cylinder being shown in section to illustrate certain parts in the interior thereof;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1:

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are diagrammatic views illustrating successive positions of the main and supplemental gripper actuating devices;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of one end of the impression cylinder and the adjacent cylinder housing cap illustrating the arrangement of the supplemental gripper actuating means. i

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the at present preferred embodiment of my invention the reference numeral 10 indicates the impression cylinder which is secured to the shaft 11 to rotate therewith. The shaft projects through one end of the cylinder and i's supported in the cylinder bearing 12 which in turn is carried by the cylinder housing13 and is secured in position by the cylinder housing cap 14. It will be understood that the opposite end of the shaft 11 is properly supported in the-frame of the press. The shaft 11 is formed with a bore 44 which extends from the ri'ht hand end thereof shown atFig. 1 or about three-fourths of the length of the same. A

reciprocating rod 15 is mounted in this hole and the spring 16 is interposed between the end of the bore and the end of the rod, the

opposite end projecting outside of the cyl-: inder bearing 11 and carrying the two opposite directions as indicatedby the airrows in Fig. 2 and the cylinder" makes two revolutions for one revolution of the cm, the arrangement of parts being particularly adapted for a press having a two revolution impression cylinder.

The gripper rod 15 near its inner end carries a rack 25 which meshes with a spur gear 26 mounted on a stud 27 which is carried by the cylinder. compounded with the gear 26 is a bevel pinion 27 which meshes with a miter bevel pinion 28 secured to the rock shaft 29. The rock or gripper shaft 29 is carried by the cylinder and has adjustably mounted thereon the gripper fingers 30. These fingers are formed with split eyes 31 at their inner ends which are adapted to be clamped around the rock shaft b means of cap screws 32 extending through the ears Thus the gripper fin rs may be engularly adjusted on the rec shaft 29. From the structure thus far described it will be apparent that rotation of the gripper cam 24 will act through the lever 21 to push the gripper rod 15 inwardly to thereby rotate the rock shaft 29 through the gearin' and thus actuate the gripper fingers in a 0' bein direction. The fingers are opened by eans of the spring 16 which forces the gripper rod 15 outwardly. In order to properly control the motion of the gripper fingers in timed relation with the cycle of movements of the press the cam 24 is formed with a depressed portion 34 which extends between the inclines 35 and 36 and with a raised portion 37 which extends around the remaining part of the cam. \Vhen the roller 23 is on the high portion 37 the gripper rod is in its inner position and the gripper fingers closed. lVhen the-roller 23 is on the low portion 34 of the cam the rod 54 is in its outer position and the fingers are in raised or opened position. It is apparent that as there are several parts required to transmit the motion from cam 24 to the fingers that there is opportunity for lost motion which interferes with the accurate operationof the fingers. In order to overcome or compensate for this lost motion I have provided asupplemental means which acts directly on the gripper means and to which the operation of the fingers is momentarily transferred from the main cam 24 to complete the final portion of the closing motion of the fingers.

For this purpose the rock shaft'29 projectsslightly from the endof the impression cylinder and has adjustably mounted thereon an arm or gripper closing finger 38.

,Arrangedin the path of this arm and adapted to cooperate therewith is a closing fingerroll 39 rotatively carried by the roll bracket 40 which is secured'on the top of the cylinder housing cap 14. The arrange ment of this supplemental means and the timing thereof with respect to the main gripper actuating means'is clearly illustrated in Fig. 3, 4, 5 and 2. 7 Referring to Fig. 3 it willbe noted that the gripper cam roll 23 has just begun to ride up the inclined portion-36 of the gripper cam and that the cam arm 38. is very nearly in a vertical position and has just come into contact with the closing finger roll 39, the :fingers 30 being in the position illustrated. As clearly shown in these figures the in clined portion 36 of the gripper cam is formed with a slightly depressed portion 40 and the inclined portion joins the high part 37. When the parts have reached the'position'shown in Fig. 4 the roller 39 has become operative on the cam arm 38 to thereby rotate the rock shaft and fingers ina closing direction and has thus relieved the cam 24 from its function as the gripper cam roll23 is opposite the slightly depressed portion 40 of the cam. The closing finger ping fingers whereupon the gripper cam roll roll 39 continues to operate on the cam 38 to complete the closing motion of the grip- 23 is engaged by the high portion 37 of the gripper cam and this latter cam takes up the further operation of the gripper fingers and continues to control the actuation of the same until the gripper cam has made substantially one complete revolution or until the grlpper cam roll-23 againcomes to the incline 36' and depressed portion 40. As the V final closing movement of the grippers is made by means of the direct action of the roll 39 on the arm 38 there can be no lost 'motion and the fingers are therefore properly actuated. For further description of the details of construction of the impression cylinder and other parts of the press reference may be had to my copending application 820,042, filed February 20, 1914 and my Patent 1,092,998, granted April 14, 1914.. r a

7 Although I have described my invention in connection with a'two-revolution cylinder press and an impressioncylinder having a particular means for actuating-the fingers it is obvious that the invention is r not limited to these details as they may be widely varied. i

Having thus described the invention what .tie operation of said fingers during the.

final portion of their gripping movement,

' is claimed and desiredto besecured byLet- 2. In a printing press, an impression cylinder having a rock shaft and gripper.

fingers carried thereby, means for rocking said shaft in timed relation with the cycle of movements of the press, and cooperat- ,ing means! on the rock shaft and press frame for taking over the operation of said shaft during the final portion of its finger gripping movement. Y

3. In a printing press, an impression cylinder having a rock shaft and gripper fingers carried thereby, means for rocking said shaft in timed relation with the 'cycle of movements of the press, and an arm on the rock shaft anda cooperating roller on the press frame for relieving said first mentioned means and operating said shaftduring the final portion of its finger gripping ,iio

movement. N V

4. In a printing press, an impression cylinder having a rock shaft and gripper fingers carried thereby, means for rocking said shaft in timed relation with the cycle of movements of the press including a conmovement of the fingers, including an arm on the rock' shaft and a cooperating statinuously moving member independent of tionary roller for relieving said first means and operating the shaft during thefinal portion of its finger gripping movement.

' 5. In a printing press, an impression cylinder having a rock shaft and gripper fingers carried thereby; means for rocking said shaft in timed relation withthe cycle of movements of the press including a continuously moving member independent of the cylinder and connections between said member and shaft; and means to eliminate the effects of backlash in said connections during the final portion of the closing movement of the fingers, including a member rigid with said shaft and means directly operative on said member for relieving said first means and actuating the shaft during the final portion of its finger gripping movement.

6. In a printing press, an impression cylinder having a rock shaft and gripper fingers carried thereby, a continuously r0 tating cam and connections whereby the 0am rocks the shaft in timed relation to the cycle of movements of the press, and means independent of said cam and connections directly operative on the shaft to take over the operation of said shaft during the final portion of the closing movement of the fingers.

In testimony whereof I affix my si nature.

' WILLIAM M. KE 7 LY. 

